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Easy RMDD Source
Jens Stoevlbaek wrote:
>Beware of the Tropica fertilizer. It's very low in iron and the plants
>that it helped most in my tank were the thready/hairy algae.
>By the way, it seems that it costs slighty less in the US than here
>in Denmark.
Personally, I've been very happy with Mastergrow. Since it does not
contain either phosphate or nitrate, there is no reason that it should
contribute to the growth of algae in a tank. I suspect that if you have
an algae problem, you may have higher macro nutrient levels in your tank
than are optimal. According to Tropica, Mastergrow is formulated so that
if you have adequate levels of iron in your tank, the other micronutrients
are in proper proportion. You may need more or less than the "recommended"
dose based on the growth rate of the plants in your tank.
No trace element mix can make up for other growth limiting (or algae
encouraging) conditions in the tank.
Actually, the big difference between Mastergrow, and the Sears/Conlin
recipe for PMDD is that they suggest adding nitrate in instances where
plants are nitrate limited, and therefore unable to use up the available
supply of phosphate. It has been their finding, (and I am pretty sure they
are right) that the surest method of algae control is to make sure that all
the macro and micro nutrient needs of the plants are met, while keeping
phosphate as the growth limiting nutrient.
Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Association